The History of Evangelical Lutheran Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1738. It is the oldest Lutheran congregation in Maryland and the oldest Christian church in western Maryland. After worshiping in two log churches, the parish built a stone church in the city of Frederick in 1760. In 1771, two bells were brought from England and have called members to worship until the present. John Adams, while serving as President of the United States, worshipped in this building. The Sunday Church School of the congregation began in 1812 and is one of the oldest in the United States. The present sanctuary was built in 1854 and shortly thereafter was used as a hospital after the battle of Antietam in September 1862. In 1985, the congregation was awarded the Guidepost Magazine "Church Award" recognizing one congregation in the United States for reaching out to the community in a new and creative ministry.
In 2002, ELC expanded to a second location in Urbana, MD. The Urbana mission was launched with a service of worship that year on October 22nd.
The congregation continues "to make history" today, endeavoring to be faithful to Christ’s ministry in the world.
As we enter a new millennium together, we look confidently to the future, and realize that the best is yet to come!